Pinnick loses FIFA council seat re-election by one vote

Former Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) president Amaju Pinnick has failed in his bid for re-election to the FIFA Council. He narrowly missed out by a single vote at the General Assembly of the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

Djibouti’s Souleiman Waberi claimed the final available seat with 29 votes, edging out Pinnick, who secured 28. Morocco’s Fouzi Lekjaa topped the election with 49 votes, while Egypt’s Hani Rida and Niger’s Djibrilla Hamidou both earned 35 votes. Mauritania’s Ahmed Yahya and Waberi also secured seats with 29 votes each.

The result marked a setback for Mr Pinnick, who had served on FIFA’s highest decision-making body since 2021 and was aiming to extend his tenure.

In the women’s category, Kanizat Ibrahim of Comoros emerged victorious with 30 votes, comfortably defeating Lydia Nsekera (13 votes) and Isha Johansen (7 votes) to secure her place on the FIFA Council.